Beet extracting and cleaning machine.



No. 792,961. PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

0. H.'BEACH.

BEET EXTR AUTING AND CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20, 1904.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

glxweuro z PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

I 0. 11.3mm. BEET BXTRAOTING AND CLEANING MACHINE,

APPLICATION FILED AUG.20,1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l/vitvmzwo No. 792,961. IPATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

I C. H. BEACH.

BBET EXTRAGTING AND CLEANING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20, 1904.

a SHEETS-SHEET 3.

vihm Eatented June 20, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. BEACH, OF SUTHERLAND, NEBRASKA.

BEET EXTRACTING AND CLEANING MACHINE- I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 792,961, dated June 20, 1905.

Application filed August 20, 1904. Serial No. 221,532.

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, CHARLns H. BEACH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sutherland, in the county of Lincoln and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Beet Extracting and Cleaning Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

'My invention relates to beet-harvesting machines; and it consists of certain novel featu res of combination and construction of parts, the preferred form whereof will be hereinafter clearly set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

The prime object of my invention, among others, is to provide a machine of the character specified which When drawn over the ground will extract therefrom one or more rows of beets after first removing the tops.

A further object is to provide means cooperating with the digging or beet-extracting mechanism which will not only cleanse the beets of adhering soil, but will also lift and gather the beets and convey them .into a suitable receptacle carried by the framework of the machine or dispose them into an adjacent vehicle, which may also be drawn along beside my beet-extracting machine.

Another object is to provide means for removing the soil from either side of each row of beets whereby little force will be required to extract the beets from their growing position, enabling them to be withdrawn without liability of breaking or crushing the same.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter made clearly apparent, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part of this application, and in which Figure 1 shows a top plan view of my beetharvesting machine complete ready for use. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of my beet-harvesting machine. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of part of the mechanism employed for cleansing the beets. Fig. 4is a perspective detail view of the preferred form of carrying or sprocket chain designed to elevate the beets after they have been extracted from the soil in the ground. Fig. 5 shows a side elevation similar to the showing presented in Fig. 2, except that the beet-extracting plow is entered in the soil or into its operative position for removing the beets. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of Fig. 1 on line 6 6. Fig. 7 shows a detail view of the beet-removing plow or beet-extractor proper.

For convenience of reference to the various parts of my invention and cooperating accessories numerals will be employed, the same numeral applying to a similar part throughout the several views.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, 1 indicates the end sections of the framework of'my machine, while 2 designates the intermediate or cross bars, also constituting part of the framework and having their ends connected in any suitable way to the rear and forward plates or frame-sections 3, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, The framework thus or otherwise constructed is provided, preferably at its rear end, with a supporting-axle 4, upon which a plurality of carrying-wheels 5 are suitably mounted, whereby the framework may be readily drawn through the field by attaching a requisite number of horses to the swingle or double trees 6 or the equivalent thereof, said double or swingle trees being connected in the usual manner to the forward frame-section 3, as will he obviously necessary, there also being a suitable tongue provided in some instances whereby the machine may be properly guided through the field. In the present instance I have deemed it unnecessary to show any form of tongue or shaft connection, it being understood that this may be accomplished or provided in the well-known manner. The forward end of the frame is carried'by a plurality of rollers 7, suitably mounted upon the shaft 8, journaled in the frame, whereby the forward end of said frame will be supported at a proper height, the office of said rollers being to ride over the rows of beets and lay down the tops thereof, so that all of said tops will be cleanly cut off by the top-removing knife 9, there being one of said knives for each of said rollers, each knife being preferably obliquely disposed relative to the line or rows of beets, so that the tops will be more evenly and perfectly shaved off by the action of said plates. Immediately following the knives and designed to cooperate with each row of growing beets is a pair of adjustably-mounted disks 10, each disk being properly held in place by the bar 11, and said disk being adjustably mounted,as before explained, the forward edges thereof may be brought near together and also disposed so that they will take a proper depth into the soil, the ofice of said disk being to remove the soil from each side of the growingbeets, so that little force will be required after such removal to extract the beets from their position.

The extraction of the beets is accomplished by means of the plow attachment (illustrated in detail in Fig. 7 and consisting of the two members 12,) the forward end or nose of which is curved outward, while the rear ends are brought sufiiciently near together to guide the extracted beet'withdrawn by said noses onto the platform or shovel 13, the rear end of said shovel being bent upward, as indicated by the numeral 14, while two preferably integral earsections are also provided, and each earsection is formed with an arm 16, designed to be attached to the rear end of the bar 11, as shown in detail in Figs. 5 and 6. To the rear edge of the extension 14 of the shovel I attach the upwardly-inclined closely-disposed bars 17, properly reinforced at suitable intervals by the cross bar or rib 18, the office of the bars 17 being to provide a grating or sievelike inclined plane, up which the'extraeted beets are forced to travel by means of the brackets 19, carried by the link-sections 20, constituting the sprocket-chain, said chain being designed to travel around the sprocketwheel or suitable roller 21, mounted upon the shaft 22, said shaft being rotatably disposed in suitable bearings or seats 23, the rear upper ends of said sprocket-chain being extended around the sprocket-wheels 24, mounted on the driving-shaft 25. The driving-shaft is actuated by the sprocket-chain 26, passing around the sprockets 27 and 28, the latter being disposed upon the axle 4 and provided with suitable shifting-lever and clutch mechanism, (designated by the numeral 29,) whereby the sprocket-wheel 28 may be thrown in and out of gear as desired.

A suitable seat 30 for the driver may be located at any desired point, preferably at the middle of the machine and upon the springstandard 31, as will be obvious.

It becomes desirable to elevate all of the plow members simultaneously, as when passing from one field to another or in turning at the ends of the rows, and with this purpose in view I provide the controlling-lever 32, which, as will be observed by reference to Fig. 6 and other views, is pivoted upon a stubshaft 33 and is provided at its lower end with an extension 34, which latter is connected by a suitable link or by a section of chain 35 with the shaft 22, and it is therefore obvious that by throwing the lever backward all of the plows may be simultaneously elevated, and when said lever is moved forward all of the plows will be depressed or lowered into their operative positions ready to take into the soil and extract the rows of beets. It is furthermore obvious that by a proper adjustment of the lever 32 the plows and soil-removing disks 10 may be readily controlled, so that they will take deeply or lightly into the surface of the soil, as may be necessary to a proper performance of their oflice, said lever being held in its adjusted position by the rack-bar 36.

By reference to Figs. 5 and 6 it will be seen that the upwardly-inclined guideway, comprising the rod-like members 17, extends upward into cooperation with the transverselydisposed chute or trouglrlike member 37, extending crosswise beneath the framework of the machine and secured thereto in any suitable way. Within the conveyer chute or trough member 37 I mount upon the shafts or rollers 38 and 39 an endless carrier 40, having at suitable intervals cross-bars or cleats 41, and said endless carrier is caused to travel in the bottom of the guideway by means of the gear 42 being placed in mesh with the gear 43 upon the main axle 4, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. I prefer to form the bottom of the guideway or conveyer chute 37 of slatted open-work, whereby any dirt still adhering to the beets will be removed therefrom and caused to drop upon the ground immediately beneath.

I have arranged to connect to either side of my beet-harvesting machine a conveyer-chute, designated by the numeral 44 and supported in an upwardly-inclined position, so that the beets will be received thereby and conveyed into a vehicle drawn along the ground for that purpose, it being understood that a suitable carrier-belt (designated by the numeral 45) is also provided for' the elevating chute 44, whereby the beets will be drawn upward and conveyed to the desired point, said belt having suitable cross-bars 46 disposed around suitable rollers 47, one for each end of the chute, said rollers 47 being placed in comrnunication with the roller 39 by means of the sprocket-chain 48 or the equivalent thereof. If the conveyer-chute 44is located upon the opposite side of the machine from that presented in Fig. 1, it will be observed that a driving-gear 49 is provided upon the roller 38 to cooperate with the sprocket-chain 48, as

will be obviously clear.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a reliably eflicient beet harvesting and cleaning machine which will remove the beets from the rows as grown in the field and after removing the tops thereof will thoroughly cleanse the same of adhering soil, &c., and will finally elevate the cleaned beets into a receptacle provided therefor.

The various parts of my invention may be cheaply and expeditiously manufactured and each readilyassembled in its, respective operative position, and while I have described the preferred form or materialization I desire to comprehend in this application all such substantial equivalents and substitutes as may be regarded as fairly falling within the scope and purview of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The herein-described beet harvesting and cleansing machine, comprising a framework having carrying-wheels and also provid ed with supporting-rollers near its forward end; knives cooperating with each roller to sever the tops of the beets; a pair of adjustable disk members 10 for removing the soil from each side of the rows of beets; a plow comprising the curved nose-like members 12 adapted to remove the beets from their growing position in the ground and means to elevate the beets after being withdrawn, said elevating means also thoroughly cleansing the beets of adhering soil, &c., whereby the beets will be delivered at any desired point in a cleanly marketable condition, all combined 2. In a beet extracting and cleaning machine, the combination with a frame having supporting-wheels, of a series of plows secured to said frame, said plows comprising abar 11, disks rotatably secured to said bar, shovels secured to the rear end of said bar, the forward end of said shovels being curved outwardly, a platform also secured to said bar immediately in the rear of said shovels, inclined, closely-disposed bars secured to the rear edge of said platform, and means to force the beets to travel over said bars whereby they will be cleansed from adhering earth, as set forth.

3. In a beet extracting and cleaning machine, the combination with a frame and supporting means therefor, of plows adjustably secured to said frame, said plows comprising a bar, disks mounted thereon, extracting members secured thereto, a platform also secured to said bar, said platform having its rear end bent upwardly, a sieve-like member secured to said platform, and a sprocket-chain having brackets secured to the link-sections thereof adapted to convey the beets over said sievelike member, and means to convey the beets to either side of said machine, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specificationin the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES H. BEACH.

Witnesses:

DAVID HUNTER, ALEX NEILSON. 

